BALTIMORE — The Baltimore City Council on Monday passed a resolution requesting the Environmental Protection Agency to halt plans to send contaminated water to Baltimore from the East Palestine, Ohio train derailment.
Councilman Zeke Cohen introduced the resolution.
Thank you to my colleagues for unanimously passing our Resolution on toxic water. Too often cities with high rates of concentrated poverty and environmental degradation are asked to shoulder the burden for corporate malfeasance.
— Zeke Cohen (@Zeke_Cohen) March 27, 2023
East Palestine and Baltimore deserve better. pic.twitter.com/M16pKWVgYm
The EPA originally signed off on having 675,000 gallons of pre-treated at Clean Harbors in Baltimore and then discharged at the City owned Back River Wastewater Treatment Plant.
RELATED: Baltimore receiving 675k gallons of wastewater from Ohio train derailment
Mayor Brandon Scott and Baltimore County Executive Johnny Olszewski expressed grave concerns about the plan and its potential impact on the environment.
They along with Maryland Congressman Kweisi Mfume highlighted past issues at Back River and encouraged the EPA to have the water dumped elsewhere.
“Just as you cannot un-ring a bell, you cannot undo the level of danger that would arise for residents in the Greater Baltimore Area and the Chesapeake Bay from the mismanagement of this process," said Mfume.
Following the resolution's passage, Scott said he consulted with his legal department who determined the City was not mandated to carryout the operation.
"After legal review, the City’s Law Department has determined that the Department of Public Works has the authority to modify discharge permits in an effort to safeguard Publicly Owned Treatment Works (POTW) from interference, pass-through, or contamination of treatment by-products.' As such, I have directed DPW to modify Clean Harbor’s discharge permit to deny their request to discharge processed wastewater from the cleanup of the Norfolk Southern Railroad derailment into the City’s wastewater system after processing at a Clean Harbors facility. Clean Harbors has facilities across the country that may be better positioned to dispose of the treated wastewater, and we urge them to explore those alternatives."
Maryland Delegates Ryan Nawrocki and Kathy Szeliga thanked City leadership "for taking swift action and stopping the toxic waste from the railroad disaster in East Palestine, Ohio from being discharged into our state."
The hazmat situation following the February 3 Norfolk Southern derailment led to neighborhood evacuations and the death of tens-of-thousands of fish.
Workers in Ohio who've been dealing with the cleanup process have also complained of migraines and nausea.
